From high-profile developments to historic preservation, in 2024 Sarasota went through a transformation. New developers have followed post-pandemic migration to the area, ushering in a new skyline and sprawl—and adding hundreds of thousands of new units to the fray.

In 2024, notable figures like Andrés Duany, a champion of New Urbanism, challenged the City of Sarasota to embrace its identity as an emerging urban hub while addressing housing crises and suburban creep. Meanwhile, projects like the St. Regis Residence and Resort on Longboat Key and The Haven Residences reflect diverse priorities—from luxury living (the St. Regis) to supporting adults with disabilities (The Haven).

As Sarasota navigates these changes, efforts to preserve landmarks like the Colson Hotel alongside the loss of beloved institutions such as Albritton Fruit Farms highlight the tension between progress and heritage. It's a dynamic that will continue to shape the city’s future not just in 2025, but in the many years ahead. Let's take a look back at some of the most notable real estate stories of the year.

New Urbanism Luminary Andrés Duany to Sarasota: ‘You’re Not a Little Town’

Andrés Duany, a leading New Urbanist planner, addressed a packed audience in Sarasota, revisiting his role in the city’s 2000 downtown master plan and offering provocative insights on its future. Praising Sarasota’s progress toward urban density and walkability, he critiqued suburban sprawl and the outsized influence of NIMBY opposition in planning decisions, advocating for more inclusive, community-wide input. Duany’s vision championed balanced investment in urban infill and rural conservation, urging Sarasota to embrace its evolution into a thriving urban hub while challenging outdated perceptions of its small-town identity. 

Sarasota City Commission Approves Downtown Workforce Housing Project

In April, the City of Sarasota Commission unanimously approved an unprecedented workforce housing project, set to bring 200 affordable units to First Street, near City Hall, in downtown Sarasota. Backed by $7.4 million in funding from the city, the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and other local partners, the plan will leverage state and local incentives to boost density. It will also address a critical housing crisis, exacerbated by out-of-state buyers inflating home prices during and following the pandemic. The development will consist of two 12-story buildings with 192 residential units, street-level commercial space, and parking. Targeted renters include teachers, medical staff and other essential workers earning 80 to 120 percent of the city’s Area Median Income, with units remaining affordable in perpetuity. Despite some dissent from the public, including concerns over government execution, city officials and community leaders recognized the dire need for affordable housing, citing long commutes and housing challenges for local workers. 

Here’s a Peek at the New Residences at St. Regis Longboat Key

After years of delays and legal disputes, the Residences at St. Regis Longboat Key broke ground on October 25 on the former site of The Colony Beach and Tennis Resort, marking the end of an era for the beloved resort, which closed in 2010 and was demloished in 2019. Spearheaded by Unicorp National Developments, the St. Regis project includes a 166-room luxury hotel and 69 high-end condominiums spread across three six-story buildings, with prices starting at $2 million. Offering Gulf views and resort-style amenities like multiple pools, a spa, butler services and even Bentley chauffeurs, the development brought some of the priciest sales in the county's history, including one combined penthouse transaction, which, for now, tops them all at more than $21 million. It's a new chapter for Longboat Key.

The Sea Hagg Returns

Cortez Village, a quirky fishing enclave near Anna Maria Island, held onto its charm amidst redevelopment, thanks to locals like Jan Holman, a.k.a. “the Sea Hagg.” Known for her beloved antique shop, which closed in 2022 after 25 years in business, Holman transformed a 1930s home into the Sea Hagg Inn & Gardens, a vacation rental brimming with her signature nautical treasures. The renovation raised ceilings, added beams adorned with maritime artifacts and turned the 1,200-square-foot home into an immersive retreat. Outside, shell-strewn paths lead through a yard filled with mermaids, fish models and her signature blues. “People loved the shop’s energy and wanted to stay the night,” Holman told us. “Now, they can.”

The Local Condo Market Currently Favors Buyers

In April, the market's inventory of condos finally skewed upward to favor buyers—a refreshing change from the pandemic-era scramble of record-low choices for prospective buyers. Median time to contract climbed, too, with Sarasota condos taking 51 days, up 183 percent year-over-year. Higher insurance costs, stricter condo laws, and growing HOA fees in the wake of the Surfside condo collapse added challenges, but demand remained strong for newer, well-located condos. Pricing realistically is key, said local realtor Kristina Bregu: “Sellers must adjust quickly to succeed.”

Sarasota County’s Purchase of Albritton Fruit Farms Is Final

Albritton Fruit Farms, a beloved family-owned farm known for its blueberry and flower picking, was sold to Sarasota County in October for $19 million. The 341-acre property, located on S.R. 72, will serve as a soil source for the county’s waste disposal complex (but won't become a landfill). The move aims to save residents up to $50 million over 27 years by reducing the need to import soil while also cutting dump truck traffic on public roads, said county officials. The members of the Albritton family who ran the u-pick blueberry and flower operation acknowledged that they had been facing challenges, including competition from cheaper, internationally grown blueberries. “The timing of a harvest can make or break a season,” Sarah Albritton told us. While the sale wasn’t their preferred outcome, she and her husband, John Karl Albritton, said that they still envision a future in agrotourism.

Local Leaders Strike Deal to Save the Colson Hotel for Good

Just this month, the historic Colson Hotel was spared the wrecking ball. The hotel was built in 1926 as a sanctuary for Black travelers during segregation, and is now set to be preserved thanks to a coalition of local organizations that stepped in to save it, including DreamLarge (Sarasota Magazine's parent company) and the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation. The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, had been at risk of demolition amidst neighborhood growth. Developer Maximilian Vollmer had planned to replace it with townhomes, but city commissioners rejected the proposal due to the building's historical significance. Then a new community development corporation secured ownership, and it aims to preserve the hotel through a historic preservation easement. Plans include stabilizing the structure to maintain its historical integrity while engaging the community for input on its future use. This preservation effort also sets a precedent for saving culturally significant buildings in Sarasota—a big deal in a place where razing and building bigger and higher is becoming more common.

New Housing For Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Is On The Horizon

Amid loads of new development, this story stood out for all the right reasons. The Haven, a nonprofit organization serving adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), launched a new project to build at least eight single-story residences near its 32-acre campus at 5167 DeSoto Road. Named the Haven Residences at UTC, the homes will be designed in townhome or duplex styles with two, three, and four-bedroom options. A clubhouse will offer social opportunities, like shared evening meals, for residents, aiming to foster independence while providing support. Karen Shapiro, a major donor to the project, emphasized the need for such housing options here. “This is a unique model,” she said, reflecting on her own experiences with her adult son on the autism spectrum. With six group homes already, The Haven serves more than 650 people annually and there are currently more than 350 people on the waitlist. The project has broken ground, and construction will be phased as funds become available.

Artist Joel Benham Delivers Sensory Overload at His Outrageous Vibe Villa

We showcase a unique local home in every print edition of Sarasota Magazine, and we loved Joel Benham's Vibe Villa, which feels like what you'd get if Pee-wee Herman and Andy Warhol teamed up to design a home. Benham, an artist, rents out his quirky Desoto Acres casita as a short-term vacation rental and also uses it as a personal gallery. It's a riot of color and humor, filled with playful designs like a “furrridgerator” covered in fake fur and a fridge shelf shaped like a VIP penthouse, complete with a mini DJ booth. Benham, a Bradenton native and Booker High School dropout, recently transitioned to a full-time art career. His work, known as dopamine art, evokes happiness and nostalgia and attracts buyers from across the country. “I support immaturity,” he told us. “Why do we stop being kids?”

Hurricane Helene Destroyed the Iconic, Architecturally Significant Sanderling Cabanas on Siesta Key

Since 1946, generations of residents have recreated, picnicked, communed with nature and socialized at a strip of beach on Siesta Key in the tony Sanderling community. A luckier few gathered family and friends at the 25 pristine cabanas that graced the water’s edge. Designed by renowned Sarasota School architect Paul Rudolph, the cabanas were internationally acclaimed: the Museum of Modern Art in São Paulo, Brazil, awarded Rudolph's Sanderling project an international architectural prize, and in 1994, they were recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. The cabanas stood until Sept. 26, 2024, when Hurricane Helene and its 7-foot storm surge decimated them. Now, only concrete slabs and memories remain. The cabanas can’t be easily rebuilt because of their historic designation, but the upside to their loss is that Sarasota can become a model for other coastal communities. “This is the story of one community in one city on one island, but it is a common issue across the region,” said architect Max Strang, who lives in Heron Lagoon. Arguments over climate change and overbuilding on barrier islands aside, nostalgia for Sanderling’s cabanas and their incomparable sense of place endures. Architecture Sarasota president Marty Hylton put it best: “Our collective memory becomes our collective loss."